Sponsors (2)
Introduced February 25, 2026 by Richard Lynn Scott · Last progress February 25, 2026
The bill channels more federal grant funding and clear federal direction toward cybersecurity, soft-target protection, election security, and border-response capabilities—strengthening specific homeland-security capacities—but does so by imposing set-asides, ICE coordination requirements, and binding priorities that reduce local flexibility, risk diverting funds from other needs, and raise civil liberties and compliance concerns.
State and local governments, law enforcement, and emergency responders receive sustained, directed HSGP funding to boost preparedness (cybersecurity, soft-target/crowded-place protections, and counterterrorism), improving protection of critical systems, public venues, and resident data.
Border communities and responding agencies gain dedicated set-aside funding (≥10% in some provisions) and coordinated federal support to improve operational capacity for migration-related crises and border incident response.
State and local election officials receive a mandated minimum allocation for election security (at least 3%), increasing resources to protect voting infrastructure from disruption or interference.
Codifying priorities and set-asides tied to border response and enforcement risks diverting HSGP funds away from other local preparedness and public-safety priorities, shrinking available resources for hospitals, non-border needs, and broader local programs.
Requirements to coordinate with ICE and to fund enforcement-related activities may politicize grant distribution, strain relations with Tribal and some local jurisdictions, and raise civil liberties concerns for immigrants and communities of color.
Mandated suballocations (e.g., UASI restrictions and set-asides) and codified priorities reduce local flexibility to address locally prioritized threats and make it harder to reallocate funds as threats evolve.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Conditions UASI grants (from FY2027) to allocate ≥30% across five priorities, with ≥3% for election security and ≥10% for border response, plus new certification and penalties.
Requires Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) grant applicants, starting in fiscal year 2027, to set aside and justify specific shares of each grant award for five national priority areas and to meet new certification and compliance rules tied to border-response activities. The bill mandates that at least 30% of each UASI award be allocated across cybersecurity, soft-target/crowded-place protection, Homeland Security Task Forces and Fusion Centers, election security, and border crisis response; it also sets minimum suballocations of 3% for election security and 10% for border response and lists allowable border-related activities and penalties for noncompliance. Local and state grant recipients must submit investment justifications for border projects and certify alignment with Department of Homeland Security terms; failure to comply can result in reduced eligibility, withholding up to 30% of an award until fixed, or other remedies. Federal preemption of state or local law is limited only to what is necessary to enforce these grant-condition requirements.